The present invention relates to a switching device, or instruction key, for installation in a switchboard or the like, comprising two parts, namely an actuator including a housing and a plunger and designed to be plugged into and fastened to a supporting wall, and a contactor to be joined with and fastened to the actuator on the interior of the supporting wall.
Instruction keys of this type are known to have contactors including metal contact tongues or, less frequently, to be designed as inductive or capacitive proximity switches.
The advance of electronic circuits even for controlling devices which conduct high currents makes it appear desirable to fasten printed circuits, i.e. plates provided with conductor paths, directly to the contactor or, conversely, to fasten the entire instruction key on a plate to thus simplify the circuitry and create components having smaller volumes. However, in this procedure as well, the connecting leads for the contactor must be individually soldered to the conductor paths on the plates.
On the other hand, it is known, for example, for pocket computers, to electrically connect conductor paths with the aid of rubber elastic pressure members provided with a conductive, elastomer coating. Generally, a plurality of such actuating membranes are combined into a pad which forms the keyboard field of an operator's keyboard.